


EDT+8

by toomanysecrets



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-09
Updated: 2012-09-09
Packaged: 2017-11-13 22:30:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/508413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toomanysecrets/pseuds/toomanysecrets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just what is Danny up to, when he disappears for years at a time?</p>
            </blockquote>





	EDT+8

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers through 6.4: Liftoff.

At 3:56 pm, local time, Danny slides his key card into the lock on his hotel room door. No matter where he is, he always knows what time it is in Washington. Part of it is pragmatic -- his editor is there, his deadlines are there. But another part of it is the tiny little bit of sentimentality he allows himself. It's something that stays constant while he's never sure how long he'll be in one place, or where he'll be going next. It's a tenuous connection back to the life he led for almost 10 years, and occasionally, when he finds himself sitting alone in an unfamiliar bar after chasing down some dead-end lead, wishing for a familiar face he could have a real conversation with, he'll imagine what's going on at home just then. Which is why he didn't need to do any mental arithmetic when, at 2:13 am Washington time, Josh's one-line email showed up in his inbox: _She’s briefing first thing in the morning. You’ll want to see it._

He flicks on C-SPAN first. The briefing hasn't started yet. He slings his jacket over the back of the desk chair, digs his laptop out of the safe in the closet, and settles himself on the bed. His eyes close and he thumps his head back against the headboard, the laptop still closed in his lap.

The Gaza peacekeeping plan was of course the day’s (week’s, month’s, year’s, decade’s) news. There would be political infighting, moral objections from the public or its elected officials, and budget concerns. There would be deals cut behind closed doors to make sure that it passed. All of this was certainly already starting to happen, but how much of it would hit the briefing so soon, and why would Josh want to make sure Danny saw it?

The other news from the White House was Leo. It was big news for the country, and would have been bigger news if it hadn’t come in the shadow of the signed peace accords. But for those who spent, or used to spend, their lives in the White House, it was also personal. Danny didn't need to be tipped off to follow that story. Last he'd heard, Leo was out of surgery and was expected to make a full recovery. If that had changed, Josh wouldn't have hinted at it in advance of the briefing. There wouldn't be any value in leaking it, particularly to a reporter halfway around the world and no longer part of the Press Corps. Just considering the possibility of the gruff, pointed Chief of Staff not surviving his double bypass, Danny suddenly realizes he's holding his breath, and expels it in a rush of air that sounds oddly loud in the empty hotel room.

Leo himself probably wasn't the story, but the story might be related. Was Leo stepping down as Chief of Staff? Was he even in any state to make that call right now? Even if he would be keeping his job, someone would need to run the White House while he recuperated. As Leo's deputy, Josh would be the logical choice, and maybe that explained his middle-of-the-night email. But while Danny thinks Josh would like the _idea_ of being Chief of Staff, he's not certain whether Josh would enjoy actually _being_ Chief of Staff. And he's pretty sure that CJ wouldn't enjoy Josh being Chief of Staff. His tendency to speak without thinking would get him into even more trouble in a higher-profile position, and she'd have a lot of his messes to clean up. That would be unfortunate for Josh, but kind of fun to watch. Danny smiles at the thought.

Josh has leaked him inside information before, when it was politically expedient, but this isn't a leak. This feels more like a courtesy. He tries to catch most of the White House press briefings, but as he gets mentally farther away from his old beat, and from CJ, it's not the priority it once was. So he appreciates the courtesy. But if it's just a courtesy, it's almost certainly about CJ. Which is why he rearranged his schedule today in order to be back to his room in time for the briefing.

Maybe he hasn't distanced himself from CJ as much as he'd thought, and he's not sure whether to be relieved or frustrated by that.

The background noise from the tv changes to the familiar low babble of the Press Corps waiting for the briefing to start. Danny's eyes open and he sits up straighter, trying as he always does to pick out the voices of his former colleagues. He thinks he hears Katie's laugh. But then CJ steps into the briefing room, and the Press Corps is forgotten, because something is clearly wrong. The Press Corps hasn't noticed; the low babble hasn't changed. But just like when he attended her briefings in person, Danny is paying more attention to the Press Secretary herself than most of his colleagues are. Now he understands why Josh gave him a heads up on this morning's briefing.

It's not necessarily that something is wrong, per se, but that everything about CJ is different. Her walk to the podium seems slower and less purposeful. Her eyes seem less focused as they sweep the room unhurriedly, inefficiently. She looks lost in her own thoughts, as if her attention is directed inward instead of projected outward towards the roomful of people she's about to match wits with.

She waits longer before speaking. "Good morning."

Her voice is softer than usual, more diffuse. She leaves an uncharacteristically long pause as she surveys the herd of reporters with that same thoughtful look.

"This will be my last briefing as White House Press Secretary."

Danny's eyebrows shoot upward as all background noise from the press room stops dead. Well, that explains Josh's email.

"Toby Ziegler will be filling in until the president names a replacement." The camera pans to Toby, whose eyes shift furtively, never looking directly into it. Oh man. The Press Corps will eat him for breakfast.

"I'll ask you to please be kind to him, and if you can't be kind, at least speak slowly." Not a single person in the briefing room laughs at CJ's joke, still delivered in the softer voice with all of its usual sharp edges filed down.

"These past six years working for this exceptional group of journalists --" CJ glances to her right and then down at the podium. Having been at hundreds of White House press briefings, Danny fills in Carol, off-camera, dropping a note in front of her. "I'm sorry, um, thank you," -- Danny is pretty sure that this is the first time he's heard her say "um" in six years of watching her brief -- "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States." The President is participating in a press briefing, unannounced?

Jed Bartlet takes CJ's place behind the podium. "Thank you. After bypass surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital 36 hours ago, I'm relieved to announce that Leo McGarry is in stable condition and headed for a full recovery."

Leo's not the story. Danny's mouth drops open.

In his shock, he almost misses it.

"...I'm therefore pleased and terribly proud to announce that, effective immediately, the position of White House Chief of Staff will be filled by Claudia Jean Cregg."

Danny stares dumbly at the television as the president congratulates CJ and starts applauding. In the back of his mind, he gathers that the Press Corps are also staring dumbly because despite the President's effort he's the only one clapping. The camera's on CJ now, and she's smiling, but faintly. She knows better than to not look into the camera, but instead of her normal direct gaze, her head is tilted downwards so that she appears to be looking up. She's managing to look almost demure, which Danny wouldn't have believed possible if he weren't seeing it right now on live television. It's not a good look for someone who has just been handed one of the most powerful jobs in the world. Particularly when everyone in the press room is about to start questioning her ability to do that job.

"Come on, CJ," he urges out loud.

The view on the television changes to the camera that faces out toward the press. Like Danny, the Press Corps have gotten over their initial shock and are now standing as one, giving her a loud and enthusiastic ovation. Danny's face splits in a huge grin and he contributes a few claps himself. His CJ is the White House Chief of Staff, and she is going to make history. He smiles even more broadly at the thought of her reaction should she ever hear him call her that, but he can’t help but think of her that way even if it doesn’t make much sense. In the few seconds before the camera switches back to CJ, he can see Mark, and Katie, and Chris, and Steve, in their assigned seats. He can see his replacement, Gordon, in the Post’s spot at the end of the fourth row. And that must be the Times' new correspondent, Greg something.

It is 8:04 am in Washington DC, and Danny Concannon wishes more than anything that he were there in the press room clapping and cheering for CJ Cregg, White House Chief of Staff. He wants to be able to catch her eye and make her smile, to give her the same confidence he has in her. He wants to throw his arms around her, pick her up and spin her around, and despite the couple of inches she has on him, he's pretty sure he could actually do it. He's seen Josh do it. He wants to grab her and kiss her in front of a room full of reporters -- he did it once and the sky didn't fall. He wants to insist that he take her out to celebrate, to try to convince her that this is a reflection of her extraordinary talent and not just an unfortunate necessity due to Leo's ill health. And if she's not the Press Secretary and he's not part of the Press Corps, maybe she'll let him. That gives him half a second's pause until he remembers that even if he weren’t 8 time zones away, CJ’s conflict of interest hasn’t exactly disappeared. And now he won’t even be able to see her on television every day.

But he's not there. So he wants to go down to the hotel bar and buy the next round for everyone there -- do people actually do that? He wants to call Carol and ask her to pick up 2 dozen roses and some celebratory decorations for Gail's fishbowl when she's out for lunch. He wants to start an email to CJ, telling her that she is brilliant, and competent, and amazing, and that she has come so far and learned so much in the last six years that this promotion makes so much sense, and that he, just like the President, is so proud of her and can't wait to see her kick some ass in her new position -- and then delete it all and replace it with something short, understated and sarcastic that he hopes will convey all of the same information without scaring her away from him.

He gets as far as opening his laptop and typing her address into the "to" field. Then his grin fades a bit and he discards the unsent draft.

Now, more than ever, CJ needs to keep her head in the game.


End file.
